Radiator protector



H.F. l-:|UDSON RADIATOR PROTECTOR Sept.- 20, 1927. 1,642,925

" Filed March 25, 1926 Patented Sept. 20, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

nnvnnn r. HUDSON, or w cnnn, KANSAS.

RADIATOR PROTECTOR.

Application filed March 25, 1926. Serial No. 97,246.

this invention relates are intended to be applied to the automobileradiators in winter and times of cold weather. They are nearly allprovided with pivoted louvers that can be moved from closed to openposition and vice versa. WVhen the engine is cold or is standing stillthe louvers should be in their closed position and should remain closeduntil the engine and radiator warm up when they should slowly andgradually open and remain open or partly open as long as the engine isrunning. As soon as the engine stops the louvers should close at once soas to conserve the heat. It is also desirable that the louvers shallpartly close when the speed of the engine is reduced, as for example,when the engine is idling as less heat is then being generated andtherefore less air is necessary to keep the parts cool.

I am aware that it is old to provide ra-. diator protectors, of the typehere under consideration, with thermostats that open and close thelouvers in accordance with the temperature. All of such thermostaticallycontrolled protectors, with which I am familiar, however, have thisobjectionable feature that they keep the louvers in open po-' sition forsome time after the engine stops and close them slowly only as theengine.

cools and close them completely only after the engine and associatedparts become quite cold. When aradiator is provided with a protectorwhose louvers are opened and closed by a thermostatic motor and the caris operated intermittently on a cold day, it is obvious that each timethe engine is stopped the protector remains open until the parts getcoldwith the result that the engine is always cold when it is again started.a It' is obvious that more satisfactory thermal conditions would prevailif the protector were so constructed that it would automatically closewhenever the engine ceased functioning so as to trap the heat andconserve it as much as possible and it is to the production of such aprotector that my present invention relates. i

- In order to describe my invention so that the construction andoperation thereof can be readily understood, I shall have reference tothe accompanying drawing in which the present preferred embodimentthereof has been illustrated and inywhich:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an automobile water cooling radiator and aportion of the engine, a protector being attached to the front of theradiator and shownin section;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2,

Fig. 1, portions being broken away to better disclose the construction;

F'g. 3 is a section taken on line 33, Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 44, Fig. 3; e

Fig. 5 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow 5 in Fig. 1 andshows a plan view of the bracket that supports the motor;

Fig. 6 is a view of the wind motor wheel looking in the direction of thearrow 6 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 7 is a section similar to that illus trated in Fig. 3 but showing amodified construction comprising a thermostatically controlled stop.

-Numeral 1 represents a radiator such as is almost universally employedon automobiles for reducing the temperature of the cooling water.Employed in connection with the internal combustion engine 2 is a fan 3that is driven from the crank shaft of the motor by means of a belt 4 orother equivalent means. The parts just mentioned are present in allwater cooled automobile power plants and have been shown merel so as toenable'the invention that forms t e subject matter of this applicationto be properly explained.

I have already pointed out that it is cus tomary to provideautomobileradiators with a protector that can be secured to the same and which hasa plurality of louvers that are movable about parallel pivots from opento closed position and vice versa. In the drawing reference numeral 5represents the v'erti v cal sides and numeral 6 the horizontal sides ofboxing or casing which is also provided with outwardly extending flanges7 which are adapted to fit against the face of the radiator;.theseflanges have openings 8 for the reception of bolts by means of which thecasing is secured to the radiator. The outer surface of the casing has arectangular opening bounded by the edges of the inturned flanges 9. Aplurality of louvers 10 have their ends hingedly connected with thevertical flanges 9 by means of hinges 11 and are so spaced that whenthey occupy their normal ositions in substantially vertical planes, theower edge of one louver contacts with the upper edge of the louver belowso as to close the rectangular opening. When the louvers are rotatedabout their pivots towards the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 3, theycontinually increase the effective area through which air may flow. Ihave shown these louvers hinged so as to rotate about their upper edgesbut this is not necessary as they may be hinged so as to rotate aboutaxes that are located at their upper edges or any point intermediate theupper and lower edges but the arrangement shown is considered to be thepreferable one. In order that all of the louvers may move simultaneouslyand to the same extent, the free edge of each is interconnected with thecorresponding free edge of the other by means of a rod 12 that ispivotally connected with each louver by means of a in 13. In theconstruction shown the action of gravity tends to move the louvers toclosed position; it is preferable, however, to assist the closing forceexerted b the action of gravity and this can be done y means of springs.The spring that has been designated by numeral l t has its upper endattached to a bracket 15 that has been shown as being attached to theupper louver, while the lower end is secured to a straight threadedportion 16 that passes throu h the lower horizontal side 6 and isprovided with .a nut 17 by means of which the tension may be adjusted.Spring 14: is preferably somewhat weak and is so adjusted that it isunder tension in all positions of the louvers and therefore exerts acontinuous force tending to close the louvers. It

is sometimes desirable to add a second spring 18 whose upper end isattached to the upper louver by means of a bracket 19 and has its lowerend secured to the straight threaded art 20 which has associated with itan adusting nut 21. Spring 18 may be made of stifi'er material thanspring 14 and is so adjusted that it is not put under tension untilafter the louvers 10 have opened to a considerable extent; this isaccomplished by locating the nut 21 in such a position that it does notcome into contact with the side 6 until after the louvers have beenmoved from closed towards open position.

It is evident from the description given above that unless the louvers10 are acted u on by some other force they will remain c osed. As longas the louvers remain in closed position, air cannot flow through theradiator and the radiation effect is therefore at a minimum. When theengine is standing still it is, of course, desirable that the louversshall be closed for if they are open or partly open the heat will bedissipated at a greater rate. It is understood, of course, thatprotectors, like the one here under consideration, are employed mostlyin cold weather but may be used all year if desired.

When the engine is first started it is naturally cold and does notoperate satisfactorily. It is desirable to bring the engine and coolingwater to the optimum temperature as soon as possible and therefore thelouvers should be retained closed until the engine has attained atemperature that permits it to operate satisfactorily after which thelouvers should gradually open so as to prevent the parts from becomingtoo hot and I will now describe the mechanism by which this isaccomplished.

In the patent, above identified, I have shown, described and claimed athermally responsive element comprising a wax-like substance which isassociated with proper mechanical means for holding the louvers inclosed position until the wax has reached a sufiicient temperature tobecome viscid when the louvers will be permitted to move slowly towardsopen position. In Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, I have shown such a means whichin the instant case consists of closed casing 22 rovided with a fillopening 23 that is closed y means of a vented cap 24. This casing issecured to the rear surface of the upper flange 9 by means of a bracket25 and carries a rotatable shaft 26 which carries a fanlike structure27*that is nonrotatably secured to it. A ratchet wheel 28 is secured tothe shaft 26 outside of the casing. lever arm 29 has one end pivotallysecured to the shaft 26 and the other end pivoted at 30 to the upper endof the connecting rod 31 whose lower end is pivoted at 32, to the upperend of the rod 12. A pawl 33 is pivoted to the arm 29 and cooperateswith the teeth of the ratchet wheel in the manner clearly shown in Figs.1 and 3. The interior of the casing 22 is partly filled with a resinouswax 34 that when cold resembles sealing wax but which softens whenheated so as to become gummy and viscid and finally quite fluid. It isevident that the shaft 26 and attached fan structure 27 cannot berotated as long as the wax 34 is cold but can be rotated by theapplication of considerable force as soon as the wax softens and becomesgummy and with less force and more quickly'when the wax has beenthoroughly heated. The wax may be made from viscous oil and resin andthe proportions are selected with due regard to the temperature at whichthe wax is to soften which temperature should correspond to the properworking temperature of the engine. Since the pawl 33 is effective onlywhen the rod 12 tends to move upwardly, it is evident that the controldevice can interpose no resistance to a closing movement of the louversbut resists the opening movement only.

As explained above it is the object of this invention to produce aradiator protectorthat will close immediately upon stopping of the motorand open only after the parts have become properly heated. To accomplishthisresult it is necessary to provide means that becomes effective whenthe motor operates for producing a force that can be utilized foropening the louvers and which become inoperative as soon as the engmestops so that the combined action of gravity and the springs 14 and 18may move the louvers to closed position as soon as the engine, hasstopped. Such a force may be obtained in a variety of different ways asby utilizing the partlal vacuum in the intake manifold, the pressure inthe exhaust manifold, the current produced by the generator or the airflow produced by the cooling fan, in short any means that depends ontheoperation of the engine in such a way that it is effective only whenthe engine is running and exerts no power while the engine isstationary. As an example of one means for obtaining the desired forceto open the louvers, I have shown a small fan or windmill wheel whichhas been indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral and whichmay be constructed in any suitable manner but which has been shown asformed from a circular sheet of metal that has been cut radially so asto form a plurality of vanes 36 that radiate from the central portion 37and which are twisted into a 'propeller shape and have theircorresponding inner corners secured to a circular ring 38 (Fig. 6). Thewheel 35 is nonrot-atably secured to the outer end of the shaft 39. InFig. 5 I have shown a supporting structure or bracket 40 that has beenshown as formed from two pieces of sheet metal one of which has astraight portion 41 from one side of which an arm 42 projects. This armextends outwardly at right angles to the plane of the .part 21 and isprovided with an opening 43 through which the bolt 44 (Fig. 1) may passso as to clamp it to the engine. A flat V- shaped member 45 is securedto the ends of the part 41 by rivets 46, or by any other suitable means,and forms with it a rectangle. the shaft 31 is rotatably mounted in thebearings 47 and 48.- The end 49 of the part 45 isperforated for thereception of a tube 50 that extends forwardly and terminates at a point50? in front of the radiator, a fine wire, cable, cord or catgut line 51has one end secured to the shaft 39 and passes through the tube 50; theother end being connected with one end of the spring 52 whose other endis connected with the free edge of one of the louvers 10. Assuming nowthat the louvers occupy their closed position and assuming further thatthe wax 34 is hot and soft, let us consider a case in which the enginehas just been started. The fan 3 wilLbe rotated and direct a breeze ontothe wheel 35 which Will begin rotating whereby the line 51 will be woundonto the shaft 39 in the manner shown in Fig.5; as soon as the line 51is put under tension it will tend to open the louvers and unless theopening is IBSlStd by the action ofthe wax, the force produced by therotation of the wheel 35 will move the lovers to the wide open positionshown in Fig. 3 in which position both of the springs 14 and 18 will beunder tension. If the engine is slowed down, as, for ex ample, whenidling the fan 3 will rotate slower and the decreased velocity of thebreeze that strikes the fan wheel 35 will not produce suflicient torqueto overcome the action of the forces that tend to close 3 gine isstarted before the wax cools, the louvers will be promptly opened by theaction of the wheel 35. If onthe other hand, the engine is stopped andpermitted to remain stationary until the wax 34 cools and hard ens, thenwhen the engine is again started the pawl 29 will be forced against oneof the teeth of the ratchet wheel 28 by the action of the force producedby the wheel 35, but since the wax is hard, the wheel 28 will be heldagainst rotation and acts as a stop thereby preventing the louvers fromopening. As soon as the radiator gets suflicient-ly hot, the waxcontained in the casing 22 will soften and permit the paddle wheel 27 torotate thereby allowing the louvers to open. If the louvers should openso wide that the amount of air that is ermitted to flow through theradiator re uces the temperature to such an extent that the waxcools andhardens, then Whenever the engine is slowed down, the louvers will movetowards closed position and will be held against opening movement by thepawl 29. If the opening is still too great, then When the engine isagain slowed down, the louvers will close still more until the properopening is obtained for maintaining the desired temperature. Wheneverthe engine is stopped, the louvers immediately close.

Results analogous to those described may be obtain-ed by means employinga-thermostatically controlled stop instead of the con-e trol boxcontaining the Wax and an example of such a construction has been shownin Fig. 7 where the control box 22 connecting rod 31 and associatedparts have been replaced by a hinged stop member 53 that has one endpivoted at 54. A thermostat 55 is secured to the casing by some suitablemeans such as brackets 56 and is connected to the stop 53 by someintermediate mechanism such as a bell crank 57 and a. connecting rod ,58so that the stop 58 will be rotated counterclockwise as the temperatureincreases. The position of the louvers will then be determined by theposition of the stop 53 and this in turn will be controlled by thethermostat that in turn is governed by the temperature. It will be notedthat the stop does not in any way interfere with the closing of thelouvers but merely determines the extent to which they may be opened.When the engine is cold the stop 53 prevents the louvers from openingand as the temperature increases it moves counterclockwise until thetemperature becomes stationary. By properly proportiouing the openingforce and the force exerted by the thermostat, the latter can be made toclose the louvers in opposition to the opening force and will thereforeserve to regulate the opening of the louvers to the extent required toobtain the proper temperature.

The force exerted by the wheel may be regulated by properlyproportioning the diameter of the shaft 39 at the place where the line51 is coiled about it or by the well known method of reducing gears.

It is evident that the wind motor represented by wheel 35 does notnecessarily have to be placed to the rear of the fan in the manner shownbut that itmay. if desired, be put. in front of the radiator and even infront of the louvers or it may be built into the protector so as to forma unitary assembly. It should also be understood that any i type of windmotor wheel may be used and that it is merely essential that the motorshould depend on the operation of the. engine for its power so that itwill exert a force tending to open the louvers only while the engine isrunning.

In both of the embodiments shown and described, the thermostatic controldevice merely opposes the opening of the louvers but does not in any wayinterfere with the closing which can therefore take place as soon as theengine stops and without waiting for it to cool.

Having now described my invention what is claimed as new is:

l. A device for controlling the flow of air through a radiatorassociated with an internal combustion engine, comprising incombination, a casing adapted to be secured to the radiator, said casinghaving an opening. aplurality of louvers hingedly connected to thecasing and arranged to be moved into and out of closed position so as tocontrol the effective area of the opening in the casing, meanscomprising two springs of unequal strength for producing a force tendingto move the louvers to closed position, the weaker of said springs beingconstantly under tension whereas the stronger of said springs is putunder tension only after the louvers have been opened to some extent.means comprising a rotatable motor for producing a force tending to movethe louvers to open position, said last named means being so associatedwith the internal combustion engine that it is operative only when theengine operates and means responsive to temperature conditions of theengine for controlling the openin r of the louvers.

2. In a power plant comprising an internal combustion engine, having acooling system including a radiator and a fan for forcin air through theradiator, a. casing adapted to be secured to the front of the radiator,said casing having an opening. a plurality of louvers hingedly connectedto the casing and adapted to be moved into position to close saidopening, means associated with said louvers and casing for producing aforce tending to close the opening in the casing and means comprising awind wheel for producing a force tending to move the louvers to openposition, said wheel receiving its power from the breeze produced by thefan whereby the wheel is operative only when the fan operates.

3. In a power plant comprising an internal combustion engine, having acooling system including a radiator and a fan for forcing air throughthe radiator, a casin adapted to be secured to the front of theradiator, said casing having an opening, a. plurality of louvers hingedlconnected to the casing and adapted to e moved into position to closesaid opening, means associated with said louvers and casing forproducing a force tending to close the opening in the casing and meanscomprising an air operated motor for producing a force tending to movethe louvers to open position, said motor receiving itspower from thebreeze produced by the fan whereby it is HAVARD F. HUDSON

